What lingered was the roaring ovation from the Opening Day crowd and the cordial welcome he received from players who, at least contractually, are his teammates.

''It felt really good to go out on the field and have the fans here welcome me and my new teammates,'' said Jackson, who said he ducked reporters Thursday to let the day`s focus fall on more relevant matters. ''I`m looking forward to the day when I can come back and get on the field for the first time to actually play, whether it`s to DH or whatever.''

No change on the target date. There is none.

''If I knew, you would know; but it`s not left up to me,'' Jackson said.

''It`s left up to nature, God and the doctors.''

For now, he will continue his rehab, as planned, in Birmingham, Ala., Kansas City, Mo., and Chicago, where he will be much of the time when the Sox are in town.

More from Jackson:

- On running out on the field, sans crutches, when introduced Thursday:

''Actually, my legs took control. It was like they said, `Follow me.` I didn`t realize what I`d done until I got on the field and some of the guys said, `What are you doing?` I surprised myself.''

Did it hurt? ''No,'' Jackson said, ''it felt good.''

- On the prognosis by doctors from his former club, the Kansas City Royals, that Jackson likely was through: ''At this point in time, who cares what the Kansas City Royals` doctors think?''

- On life as a virtual invalid: ''Anxious is an understatement. I`m literally going berserk having so much time on my hands. My kids are getting tired of me because I`m around the house so much.''

- On his various baseball weaknesses-worst fielding percentage last year among the league`s outfielders, .139 average in the clutch, a paucity of doubles and triples for a player with world-class speed, etc.: ''I never considered myself `great.` You all put that title on me upon coming to Kansas City.

''I never considered myself a Willie Mays or Hank Aaron. I`m human. I make errors. I bleed red blood just like the other guys do. And I learn from my mistakes.''

- On the reaction from Sox players Thursday: ''Ozzie Guillen got on me. He said my pants were too long. But we had a great time yesterday, despite what happened in the game. I talked to everybody, and everybody welcomed me with open arms.

''And that`s something new for me. I`ve never experienced anything like that. In the past, there`s always been one or two guys who resented me.''

- On having his locker next to his large former Auburn football teammate, Frank Thomas: ''We don`t have to worry about the little guys playing pranks.'' - On the ballpark: ''It`s a hitter`s park. It was cold yesterday, and the wind was blowing in-you see how those balls carried out there?''

- On the response from people on the street: ''Everybody has welcomed me. No one has walked up to me and said, `Bo, you are a jerk, go back to Kansas City.` ''

- On the White Sox organization: ''The White Sox believe in me to the point where they know that I`ll be back to play. Here, I feel appreciated. I don`t feel I`m going to be used as a piece of meat.''

- On doing it Bo`s way, which apparently rankled some people with the Royals: ''I refuse to have someone tell me when it`s time for me to leave the game. I don`t want to leave the game because someone doesn`t like the way I speak out. They called it arrogance. They said, `Bo is arrogant because he speaks his mind.`

''What would I be if I don`t speak my mind-if I sat back and let somebody run over me at the ballpark, then go home and call myself a man in front of my wife and my kids? I don`t consider that being a man at all.''

- On what happens if his comeback fails: ''I know that the Lord has given me the knowledge and the wisdom to be successful in life without sports.''